Can Kill perform the duties of the job?

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gophers141

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If Kill hasn't been able to manage his seizures over the past 2 seasons what does that say about the future?

Let us not forget that Urban Meyer had to step away from Florida due to health concerns.
 

If the program was in a stronger overall position, I would be more willing to accept Kill's health problems.

But, this program is not in a strong position. Kill seems like a decent guy (AJ notwithstanding) and I think he's a competent coach, but this program in its current state cannot afford to roll the dice and hope that the coach will be healthy enough to perform his duties.

I hate to say this, but I believe Kaler and Teague need to sit down with Kill after the bowl game, and work out some kind of dignified exit path. Unless the U can get a 100% guarantee that Kill will have no more health problems, I honestly believe that he cannot continue as the head coach.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If the program was in a stronger overall position, I would be more willing to accept Kill's health problems.

But, this program is not in a strong position. Kill seems like a decent guy (AJ notwithstanding) and I think he's a competent coach, but this program in its current state cannot afford to roll the dice and hope that the coach will be healthy enough to perform his duties.

I hate to say this, but I believe Kaler and Teague need to sit down with Kill after the bowl game, and work out some kind of dignified exit path. Unless the U can get a 100% guarantee that Kill will have no more health problems, I honestly believe that he cannot continue as the head coach.
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I'm starting to lean towards this stance as the seizures have to be tough on the team and from a recruiting standpoint. I love Kill as a person and think he is a great fit, but his health issues could really hurt in the long term as we attempt to establish continuity in our team. perhaps if Kill could get a personal assistant to help him manage his seizure activity during games that would help? just a thought.
 

First off, I really like Jerry Kill. But from the outside looking in, I believe that his health issues are too much of a distraction. I think the university needs to go in a different direction.

Did he have frequent seizures while at his other coaching jobs?
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If the program was in a stronger overall position, I would be more willing to accept Kill's health problems.

But, this program is not in a strong position. Kill seems like a decent guy (AJ notwithstanding) and I think he's a competent coach, but this program in its current state cannot afford to roll the dice and hope that the coach will be healthy enough to perform his duties.

I hate to say this, but I believe Kaler and Teague need to sit down with Kill after the bowl game, and work out some kind of dignified exit path. Unless the U can get a 100% guarantee that Kill will have no more health problems, I honestly believe that he cannot continue as the head coach.
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I hate to see Kill miss games due to his seizures, but at this point, I'd be willing to deal with the occasional missed half/game if this staff can keep the team progressing. The downside to starting over AGAIN with a new coach/system would just be too much at this point.
Kill trusts his assistants to run the show when he can't. His condition isn't life-threatening and I think he's got enough experience talking to recruits about it that he can explain that to them if they're concerned. Not an ideal situation, but it's better than the alternative.
 


RedPoo said:
I hate to see Kill miss games due to his seizures, but at this point, I'd be willing to deal with the occasional missed half/game if this staff can keep the team progressing. The downside to starting over AGAIN with a new coach/system would just be too much at this point.
Kill trusts his assistants to run the show when he can't. His condition isn't life-threatening and I think he's got enough experience talking to recruits about it that he can explain that to them if they're concerned. Not an ideal situation, but it's better than the alternative.
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I think this is about right. You certainly don't can a guy at this point because he has seizures, and in all other respects, I think Kill is moving things in the right direction (albeit with a few inevitable hiccups), so upending a very fragile program yet again on another roll of the dice is too horrible to think about.

That said, it certainly is a negative for the team, and has to be detrimental to recruiting, and team morale during the game. I mean think about it: you are a player in the locker room at the half, your coach is trying to get everybody fired up and ready to make adjustments for the second half, ...and suddenly the poor guy is having a seizure. That just HAS to be a major buzz kill. If nothing else it's a distraction for a few minutes. How many players do you think fully absorbed what the coaches were telling them immediately after that happened?

It just sucks, but at this point there is really no option but to deal with it. Another straw on the back of Gopher Football.
 

Teague may have to say something about Kill being secure for next year (besides, this staff deserves more time). No more abrupt Brewster jumps at awkward times - take a year or two to scout out prospects if it comes to that, and it may not. The Gophers have made improvements on defense, though not at all on offense.
 

If there are any NIU or SIU lurkers around I would like to know if his seizure issues seem worse here or if they are the same as what he has dealt with at other stops. Has he missed games/parts of games due to the condition? I just wonder if the added stress of being under a far more intense spotlight than anything he has dealt with in the past is having a negative impact on his condition and overall health. There is far more pressure here than anything he has dealt with in previous stops where he could pretty much fly unnoticed under the radar.
 

Great Plains Gopher said:
Teague may have to say something about Kill being secure for next year (besides, this staff deserves more time). No more abrupt Brewster jumps at awkward times - take a year or two to scout out prospects if it comes to that, and it may not. The Gophers have made improvements on defense, though not at all on offense.
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Yep. This is really all the program can do. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
 



Seizures can be provoked by stress and strong emotions amongst other thing. Kill is an excitable coach without a doubt and that may be a factor in his seizures. It is hard to say whether he can curb his emotions and have an positive effect on his seizures.There is little doubt he has the most knowledgable seizure experts in the area. That said there are some seizure patients whose seizures cannot be consistently controlled with medication. Let's hope his neurologists can find the right medications so he can continue to coach the Gophers.
 

Kill has a 7 year contract.. I think your going to have to deal with him having a condition that he can't control for a while. People need to stop freaking out about this. It doesn't affect recruiting, the players, or the program as much as it affects you guys.
 

SIU fan here. I was there from 2007-2009, so I saw his last season. I vaguely remember hearing about the seizure against Illinois State, only because their fans mocked him the next time SIU visited that stadium. Doing a Google search for ("Jerry Kill" seizure) between January 2001 - December 2007 brings up only 2 incidents. 2005 against Illinois state, and 2006 against Western Kentucky (both of which were losses).

Edit: Having looked at one of the articles, apparently after the 2005 seizure it was announced that he had a seizure AFTER a loss in 2001. This guy REALLY HATES to lose.
 

Based on his health issues, the University should not have extended his contract an additional two years. The University is completely tied up with Kill at this point. The only out they've is if Kill comes to the conclusion he is hurting the program and faces the issue with Kahler and Teague. This is an extremely difficult situation that will only get worse if the seizures continue in a public forum ( Game day, practices, etc)
 



goldenman said:
Kill has a 7 year contract.. I think your going to have to deal with him having a condition that he can't control for a while. People need to stop freaking out about this. It doesn't affect recruiting, the players, or the program as much as it affects you guys.
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Pass the pipe.
 

I coached a player in H.S. that is at the U and he knew about the seizures before he committed and he said it was not an issue then and it is not an issue now. The coaches have all been together so long they know all the policies and procedures and can deal with these episodes with little or no disruption of their daily activities.
 

goldenman said:
Kill has a 7 year contract.. I think your going to have to deal with him having a condition that he can't control for a while. People need to stop freaking out about this. It doesn't affect recruiting, the players, or the program as much as it affects you guys.
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+ 1,000,000. Couldn't agree more.
 

bailee88 said:
I coached a player in H.S. that is at the U and he knew about the seizures before he committed and he said it was not an issue then and it is not an issue now. The coaches have all been together so long they know all the policies and procedures and can deal with these episodes with little or no disruption of their daily activities.
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That's one kid. None of us know about the kids who may be interested, but decided to go somewhere else. It's going to vary kid-to-kid, but I cannot help but believe that it's not showing up as not-so-subtle jabs from recruiters from opposing teams.
 

MNVCGUY said:
If there are any NIU or SIU lurkers around I would like to know if his seizure issues seem worse here or if they are the same as what he has dealt with at other stops. Has he missed games/parts of games due to the condition? I just wonder if the added stress of being under a far more intense spotlight than anything he has dealt with in the past is having a negative impact on his condition and overall health. There is far more pressure here than anything he has dealt with in previous stops where he could pretty much fly unnoticed under the radar.
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It's been a problem for decades and the U either knew or should have known it would be an issue here. He's been unexpectedly admitted as an inpatient in at least 5 of the past 8 seasons.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
If the program was in a stronger overall position, I would be more willing to accept Kill's health problems.

But, this program is not in a strong position. Kill seems like a decent guy (AJ notwithstanding) and I think he's a competent coach, but this program in its current state cannot afford to roll the dice and hope that the coach will be healthy enough to perform his duties.

I hate to say this, but I believe Kaler and Teague need to sit down with Kill after the bowl game, and work out some kind of dignified exit path. Unless the U can get a 100% guarantee that Kill will have no more health problems, I honestly believe that he cannot continue as the head coach.
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No coach in the world can guarantee that.
 

This is going to have to be one of the things this program deals with under Kill. It's no different than any other program with some sort of unique situation.
Just be up front with recruits(they are). Prepare the players and coaches for it(they have). Educate the fanbase and be open with the media about it(they have/are)

Is it ideal? No, of course not, and coach Kill would probably love not to have seizures either, but it beats ANOTHER coaching/culture change by a long shot.

As far as recruiting goes, I've very excited at the recruits Kill has brought in, because he has obviously found some kids who can play and were under the radar of other schools.
That's going to have to be the way it's done here until the program gains some hype and momentum. I'll take Lincoln Plsek, Derrick Wells, or Roderick Williams types until we get another shot at a Marquis Gray or Micheal Floyd.
 

Kill stepping down would not stop the seizures from happening. Basically, it would only prevent you potentially seeing one.
 

goldenman said:
Kill has a 7 year contract.. I think your going to have to deal with him having a condition that he can't control for a while. People need to stop freaking out about this. It doesn't affect recruiting, the players, or the program as much as it affects you guys.
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I'm not advocating for Kill to be fired or anything like that. I support him, however, his contract would not hinder our ability to move on from him. There are legal standards to terminating a contract when that contract becomes frustrated due to an illness of one of the parties. The nature of the job and the liklihood of the seizures to continue would make it difficult for Coach Kill to win that case. I'm sure the issue would settle, but I believe most of the precedent would actually be on the U's side in this case. The main point is that if the U believes that the seizures are making it impossible for Kill to do his job effectively, they could very likely get out from under that contract.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I'm not advocating for Kill to be fired or anything like that. I support him, however, his contract would not hinder our ability to move on from him. There are legal standards to terminating a contract when that contract becomes frustrated due to an illness of one of the parties. The nature of the job and the liklihood of the seizures to continue would make it difficult for Coach Kill to win that case. I'm sure the issue would settle, but I believe most of the precedent would actually be on the U's side in this case. The main point is that if the U believes that the seizures are making it impossible for Kill to do his job effectively, they could very likely get out from under that contract.
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The problem is in defining "impossible". Unlikely he'll be incapacitated for a duration. The pattern very well could be a couple of seizures a year during games. Obviously takes him out of the game, misses practice, and it may or may not affect recruiting a particular kid. Where is the line? Hope it never comes to that, but lawyers would be licking their chops over that legal action.

Ironically, the Gophers have a record that maybe most fans would have taken at the beginning of the year. Also, we are going to a bowl. But being totally outclassed and manhandled by several teams; the mess A.J.'s mom's friend caused; and now this latest seizure really leaves me down about the season.

Got to keep focused on the improvements, the youth of the squad, and the injuries they were forced to deal with. That way, I'm still hopeful, but it's not like I haven't had a lot of practice of being hopeful.
 

Stanger86 said:
Kill stepping down would not stop the seizures from happening. Basically, it would only prevent you potentially seeing one.
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Exactly! People, stop with the Kill needs to go junk. Your weakness from the last 4 decades of garbage football has you all looking really lame here. I'm embarrassed for you. He's a good coach and has our team improving. As long as he wants to fight on with this illness, more power to him. These are facts, not the fearful guesses some of you are putting on here and telling others they are naive to ignore.
 

Here's my one and only concern.......well other than the fact that it may be used against us in recruiting which is slimy, but it seems like it is taking Coach Kill longer to recover from these episodes, I mean he had the seizure on Saturday afternoon and it was reported that he'll be OK and back at work Monday morning, but......he missed the Goper Football Award banquet? What Coach would miss his teams own banquet?

His condition may be far worse than they are letting on by pooh poohing it with everything is fine and back to work and a cup of coffee on Monday. If he hasn't recovered after a full day and a half to be able to attend to his job functions then that is somewhat concerning. If he were to have a seizure a day or two before a big game and was unable to plan, prepare for, and coach that game because it takes him a few days to recover then that may be an issue.
 

goldenman said:
Kill has a 7 year contract.. I think your going to have to deal with him having a condition that he can't control for a while. People need to stop freaking out about this. It doesn't affect recruiting, the players, or the program as much as it affects you guys.
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The only way this affects recruiting is when there is negative recruiting at other schools competing for the same recruit. At the end of the day, schools that use this in a negative way to win over a recruit will fail. Position coaches and coordinators are the recruiters and get the commitments. The couple of people I know that have played football at this level and have gone to the NFL tell me they met the head coach at the clinics and a couple of times each season they played and that the relationships are most important at the position level.
 

Bob_Loblaw said:
I'm not advocating for Kill to be fired or anything like that. I support him, however, his contract would not hinder our ability to move on from him. There are legal standards to terminating a contract when that contract becomes frustrated due to an illness of one of the parties. The nature of the job and the liklihood of the seizures to continue would make it difficult for Coach Kill to win that case. I'm sure the issue would settle, but I believe most of the precedent would actually be on the U's side in this case. The main point is that if the U believes that the seizures are making it impossible for Kill to do his job effectively, they could very likely get out from under that contract.
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If they're willing to pay $800K to not play UNC (how ironic will that be if they end up joining the B1G), they've shown they are committed to Kill. He had already had one seizure this year and the issues last year at that point. I don't think the seizure Saturday changes that.

However, knowing that, I think there should be ZERO pressure on Kill to stay. If Kill and his family and doctors decide that the best thing for him is to retire, then so be it. Any clause or whatever that would prevent that should be waived. I absolutely don't want him here if he and his posse think he shouldn't be here for health reasons.

But I also think that Teague needs to keep his ear to the ground to see how this is affecting recruiting and the team. If this truly negatively impacts the team, they may have to make the tough decision. And they may have to consult with a private medical expert to make sure the coach is not endangering himself by continuing to coach.

The fact is epilepsy is not usually curable. It is treatable with varying degrees of success depending on the person. Kill has obviously not had it under control lately. But seizures while scary are usually not dangerous. So unless the doctors say differently, for now I think it's full steam ahead with Kill at the helm.
 


This post, and every radio sports talk host commenting on Kill's seizures is evidence that the situation is beyond the U's control. Let's face it, Maturi hired yet another individual that is not equipped to withstand the pressure of big time football. And frankly, a lot of you are fooling yourselves if you think you see improvement in this team. The gophers do not show any consistency in either running or throwing the ball effectively. The defense (though at times show up) has also been considerably inconsistent. Lou Holtz did way more in his 2nd year with far, far, far less talent than Kill & Co. Next year will be Kill's last season, and the University will let him go away quietly by saying it's for health reasons (as it will be, because he never should have been hired in the first place), but the other reason, equally true is that Kill and his staff are not primetime players. This will go down in U history as just another bungled hire by Joel Maturi. Hopefully Teague is not so inept at making important decisions, considering how much money he's being paid.
 

I don't know if Kill can perfor the job duties or not, but one thing I am sick of is this: comparing our coaches to Lou Holtz & that they're subpar because Holtz did more. Lou Hotz was hired by NOTRE DAME after two years. He won a NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. You can argue that he should have won another. Give me a list of the all the individuals that have coached Division I football & most likely, he'd be in the top 5% of all of them.

We hate him for how he left, but he's one of the best college coaches of all time. If the bar of all Gopher coaches is set at whether or not they're better than Lou Holtz, we're going to always be disappointed...
 

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